Stunning Photos Capture Eerie Underwater Shipwrecks

Cycle-War

Photographer Tobias Friedrich desired for years to capture these motorcycles inside the Thistlegorm in Egypt. Using a panoramic image with lighting to create depth, Friedrich garnered Winner in the Shipwrecks category of the Underwater Photographer of the Year contest.

Judge Peter Rowlands called the image "perfectly lit and composed" and predicts "there will never be a better shot of this subject."

Safe Navigation

Receiving Runner Up in the Shipwreck category of the Underwater Photographer of the Year contest, Gianni Pecchiar snapped this image at Rijecka in the house reef of Diving Marco Polo.

According to the photographer, timing the position and expiration of the divers and leaving the sediment undisturbed was the most challenging part of the project.

Truck-Nobia

Off the coast of Cyprus at Larnaca this 30-year-old Zenobia wreck lies on the seafloor and photographer Tobias Friedrich captured Third place in the shipwrecks category of the contest with this image.

According to Judge Martin Edge the image is "very well lit and composed."

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Perfect Wheel

In 1942, the German ship Klaus Oldendorf sank after hitting a mine. Photographer Pekka Tuuri was Highly Commended in the Shipwrecks category for this image which was planned out before diving the 30 meters to the deck.

Stuka

Garnering another Highly Commended award in the Underwater Photographer of the Year contest, photographer Pekka Tuuri submitted this stunning image of plane crash off the coast of Kornati, Croatia.s

Unusually Parked Car

By manually blending two images, photographer Pekka Tuuri captured a stunning image of this car under the frozen surface of Lake Saimaa in Finland, and a Highly Commended award in the photography contest.

According to Judge Peter Rowlands the "golden color jumped out of the screen ... [lighting] up what can be a quite sedate category."

OCD Diver Tries To Right Shipwreck

For close to a decade, the USS Kittiwake sat upright in place as an artificial reef, but Oct. 8, 2017 a diver noticed the ship had rolled to its side due to a powerful surge from Hurricane Nate. Photographer Susannah H. Snowden-Smith took a lighter approach with her photography, allowing the judges to "enjoy a laugh," according to Martin Edge. For her efforts Snowden-Smith received a Highly Commended award.

MV Karwela

This image, created using photogrammetry, received a Commended status in the contest, combined over 2800 source photographs of a shipwreck off Gozo in Malta.

Judge Alex Mustard celebrated the use of a "brand new frontier in underwater photography."

Bells 'n' Helms

Photographer Kieran Hatton captured this image in the "dark and anoxic depths" of the SV Balder in Åland, Finland. Judges awarded the image a Commended status for the effeort.

BSA M20 Motorbike

Aboard a shipwreck at Thistelgorm in Egypt, a British World War II BSA M20 motorbike sits in a watery grave inside Hold 2. Photographer Anders Nyberg garnered a Commended award for the image.